Woody Harrelson is a beloved actor and marijuana advocate who’s been in show business for over 38 years. Despite his successful career, the Emmy-winning actor has faced criticism for his outspoken advocacy of marijuana use. In a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Harrelson opened up about his cannabis side hustle, The Woods dispensary in West Hollywood, and how his advocacy may have held back his career.
Harrelson revealed that when he first started speaking about marijuana 25 years ago, the public didn’t respond positively. “It was not a happy, frolicking, fun response,” said Harrelson. “I don’t think it helped” his career. “People are just anxious to put you in a little box in this industry, you know?”
The Hunger Games star gave up smoking weed several years ago, hoping it would help his relationships with his wife and three daughters. However, it was another famous face that managed to reel him back in: country music legend Willie Nelson. Harrelson shared a story of being at a poker game with Nelson, who slyly handed him a joint after he’d forgotten to mention he’d quit.
When Cheers ended after its lengthy run, Harrelson didn’t expect to continue to thrive as an actor. “I thought that was just going to be my career, because six years in I hadn’t done any other part. And back then it was much harder to jump off of television into movies,” he explained. However, Harrelson went on to find great success in film, even earning three Oscar nominations.
As for the one opportunity he does regret turning down, it’s the title role in Jerry Maguire. “That was a blunder,” he laughed. “And then, like, two days later, I hear Tom Cruise is doing it, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I might have f****d that up!'”
Harrelson recently hosted Saturday Night Live for the fifth time, where he sparked controversy with a story about the “craziest script” he’s ever read. Harrelson told the audience that the movie was about the “biggest drug cartels in the world” buying up all the media and politicians and forcing people to take their drugs. Harrelson concluded by saying that he “threw the script away.”
Woody Harrelson has certainly made mistakes in his long career, but his unwavering commitment to marijuana advocacy and his beloved roles in film and television make him an icon in the entertainment industry.
